Sunday, July 7, 2013

As we struggle to get through the first heat wave of the summer of 2013 in the East, it should be considered mild compared to what is happening in the West.

Temperatures of 110 degrees and better in Arizona and Nevada, 120+ degrees in Death Valley are causing warped roads, power outages, and dangerous conditions. These high temperatures do not seem to be just a spike that is happening because it's July and it's summer. Instead it seems to be a more prolonged issue; according to TheAtlanticCities.com:

"In June, high-temperature records across the U.S. were broken 873 times and tied 423 times. New records are now on the books in North Pole, Alaska (near Fairbanks), where the mercury reached 80.1 degrees on June 1, 114.1 degrees in Zion National Park in Utah on June 29, and on June 30 in the aptly named California town ofBaker, an incredible 120 degrees. That actually turned out to be cool compared to Palm Springs, about 100 miles south, where it was 122 that same day, besting a record of 120 degrees set in 1950."With these high temperatures we also see in increase in forest fires. The theory has always been, fire will clear out the old and create conditions favorable for forest regeneration. But scientist are not so sure anymore. The high temperatures are creating long term droughts that make it much harder for the forests survival. Here is a link to a great story and video from NBCNews.com: Will Forest flourish after fires? In a warming world, not always.

Monday, May 27, 2013

It's been more than a month since The 43 Trees Project Earth Day Walk, and we figured that we should let everyone know what we've been doing.

The rush to our Earth Day walk was so intense that afterwards we decided to take a couple of weeks off from the project. Now that we're back, we have begun work on additional content for the web site. This will include videos, readings, some surprises, and updates from the park.

And in the latest update from Roosevelt Park, one of the things we have noticed is the difference from when Super Storm Sandy hit New Jersey last October. The Middlesex County Parks and Recreation Department has made a major effort to clean up many of the fallen trees and branches, and many others are almost invisible due to the Spring growth. Some of these changes can be seen in our friend Hugo (below), who stood so tall and broken and now has been over-run by Poison Ivy. To see his portrait from last fall click here.

Finally, The 43 Trees Project Lives! Within the next couple of weeks we will have a major announcement about the next phase of The 43 Trees Project. Until then, enjoy the summer and think of us as you are sitting under the cool shade of your favorite tree.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

With the 43trees Interactive Earth Day Walk only a few days away, we want you to make sure you're ready for the interactive part. Below is a demonstration on how QR Codes work and how The 43 Trees Project is going to use them:

Sunday, April 14, 2013

On Sunday, April 21, 2013, The 43 Trees Project will be having an Earth Day walk through Roosevelt Park in Edison, New Jersey. What makes this different than other Earth Day walks is the use of QR (Quick Response) Codes that will augment the experience of meeting many of the 43 trees.

What are QR Codes? A QR Code is a square grid that contains square dots where certain types of information can be encoded. The codes can then be read by an optical device, such as a smart phone. By placing a QR Code near our subjects, The 43 Trees Project will be able to connect the viewer to videos, readings, and other information about the trees, the park, and Earth Day. There are many QR Code readers available for FREE at the Apple and Android app stores.

We look forward to seeing you at Grove 2A in Roosevelt Park at 1:00 pm.